The NSW Government funding, from various programs, was allocated to three local community groups with the intention of helping the region recover from the ongoing mental health impacts of COVID-19.
The lion’s share of the grants will go to the Deniliquin Mental Health Awareness Group.
Its $160,000 allocation will allow the group to host a series of events and campaigns over the next 24 months.
Another $30,000 was allocated to the Deniliquin Golf Club which will, in partnership with Deni MHAG, run a campaign to “bring mental health and wellbeing into the clubhouse and normailse conversations around the topic”.
The Deniliquin RSL Bowling Club’s Gr8 for Brains bowls program also received $17,000 as part of the announcement, made by NSW Regional health Minister Bronnie Taylor and Duty MLC for Murray Wes Fang in Deniliquin last week.
Deni MHAG aims to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and signposts the way to finding help when peoples mental health and wellbeing is being impacted.
Chair Lyn Bond said as a volunteer driven organisation, to date it has relied on small grants and donations from local charity campaign Channel4Change to deliver a range of mental health, suicide awareness and wellbeing events to the community.
“As volunteers in this space, most of whom work full time it became increasingly difficult to be able to continue to deliver on all we want to do,” Mrs Bond said.
“This funding now enables us to deliver on eight wellbeing events and campaigns planned for the next 24 months, as well as funding to contract some services to help our volunteers.
“The funding we receive will be spent locally, supporting businesses and community groups, in and around Deniliquin.
“COVID-19 has not only impacted our social connections and wellbeing but also impacted our community economically. We addressed all of this in our tender for this grant, and we cannot be more excited that funding of this size has been allocated to a small grassroots volunteer community group to benefit all of the community.”
Deni MHAG plans to launch this initiative - called ‘Stronger Together in Deni: Wellbeing and Resilience into the Future’ - with a family event in the Waring Gardens.
Deni MHAG vice chair Lourene Liebenberg said it would be focussed on celebrating our COVID heroes.
“This is not only about the amazing work that continues to be done by essential workers across so many services,” she said.
“It is also about us a community, sticking together and supporting each other and continuing the spirit of ‘Keeping Deni Safe’ through a tough 30 months.”
Anyone requiring crisis support can contact Accessline on 1800 800 944, Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, BeyondBlue on 1300 224 636 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. Information is also available at www.denimentalhealth.org.au.
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